The Kashf al-mahjúb: The Oldest Persian Treatise on Súfiism
The Oldest Persian Treatise on Súfiism
Ali b. `Uthman Al-Jullabi Al-Hujwiri
9781465655691
201 pages
Library of Alexandria
Overview
He was profoundly versed in Ṣúfiism. He said, by way of precept: “See that ye guard your hearts, for God knows your secret thoughts.” “Guarding the heart” consists in not turning to others (than God) and in keeping one’s secret thoughts from disobedience to the Almighty. When the Qadarites got the upper hand, and the doctrine of Rationalism became widely spread, Ḥasan of Baṣra wrote to Ḥasan b. `Alí begging for guidance, and asking him to state his opinion on the perplexing subject of predestination and on the dispute whether men have any power to act (istiṭá`at). Ḥasan b. `Alí replied that in his opinion those who did not believe in the determination (qadar) of men’s good and evil actions by God were infidels, and that those who imputed their sins to God were miscreants, i.e. the Qadarites deny the Divine providence, and the Jabarites impute their sins to God; hence men are free to acquire their actions according to the power given them by God, and thus our religion takes the middle course between free-will and predestination. I have read in the Anecdotes that when Ḥasan b. `Alí was seated at the door of his house in Kúfa, a Bedouin came up and reviled him and his father and his mother. Ḥasan rose and said: “O Bedouin, perhaps you are hungry or thirsty, or what ails you?” The Bedouin took no heed, but continued to abuse him. Ḥasan ordered his slave to bring a purse of silver, and gave it to the fellow, saying: “O Bedouin, excuse me, for there is nothing else in the house; had there been more, I should not have grudged it to you.” On hearing this, the Bedouin exclaimed: “I bear witness that thou art the grandson of the Apostle of God. I came hither to make trial of thy mildness.” Such are the true saints and Shaykhs who care not whether they are praised or blamed, and listen calmly to abuse. He is the martyr of Karbalá, and all Ṣúfís are agreed that he was in the right. So long as the Truth was apparent, he followed it; but when it was lost he drew the sword and never rested until he sacrificed his dear life for God’s sake. The Apostle distinguished him by many tokens of favour. Thus `Umar b. al-Khaṭṭáb relates that one day he saw the Apostle crawling on his knees, while Ḥusayn rode on his back holding a string, of which the other end was in the Apostle’s mouth. `Umar said: “What an excellent camel thou hast, O father of `Abdalláh!” The Apostle replied: “What an excellent rider is he, O `Umar!” It is recorded that Ḥusayn said: “Thy religion is the kindest of brethren towards thee,” because a man’s salvation consists in following religion, and his perdition in disobeying it.
